9/5/2025 Daily Devotion: Highlighter Life

Romans 8:1-39 NASB - Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you need ENCOURAGEMENT in your Christian walk this morning?

• Break out your highlighter in Romans 8!

• Chapter 7 wraps up with Paul’s discussion of our continuous struggle between flesh & Spirit, wrong & right, sin & God’s Law … we all struggle with our sin saturated flesh but THANKS be to God Who provides us DELIVERANCE through JESUS CHRIST!

• The result? Chapter 8 of Romans!

We all struggle with our flesh and the sin that it produces BUT there is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS.

• Sin clings closely to all of us through our flesh but the Spirit of God, through Jesus, FREES US from that sin’s grip, control & separation!

• Jesus took the punishment that we earned upon Himself … leaving us with FREEDOM in Him!

The Spirit of God IN US brings us LIFE & PEACE.

• The Spirit of God is IN YOU!

• The Spirit brings LIFE ABUNDANT to you … Life is KNOWING GOD and the Spirit in us allows us to KNOW GOD and step into His Life prepared for us.

• The Spirit brings UNIMAGINABLE PEACE to you … we find Peace WITH God & Peace IN God. We will experience His Peace in circumstances that rage & torment all around us.

• The Spirit brings the POWER OF GOD to you … the same Power that raised Jesus from the dead is available IN YOU!

We were slaves to sin but now we are SONS OF GOD!

• We FOLLOW HIM as heirs & sons … not as mindless slaves. … We step into a RELATIONSHIP with a LOVING FATHER!

Life here on Earth has been, is & will be DIFFICULT … but we KNOW He is using ALL OF IT to grow & develop us into the GLORY OF JESUS.

• Trials, tribulations, challenges & struggles will be ever present … and we will be ever-reminded of our own weakness & frailty … but His Spirit IN US interceded with us & for us!

• God PROMISES to work ALL THINGS that we go through in this life together for our GOOD … when we TRUST & OBEY Him!

If God is FOR US in this way … who/what can we fear?!

• His Spirit is in us and we are FIRMLY PLANTED, immovable in the LOVE OF CHRIST.

• We not only exist in His Love … we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS in Him!

Let the TRUTH of Romans 8 encourage you to step out in Faith IN HIM today!